


Operation Steve Rogers Is Alive

by Guardian_of_Hope



Series: What Lies Beneath [2]
Category: Captain America (2011), Iron Man (movie), the avengers 2012
Genre: Angst, Friendship, self-hate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-20
Updated: 2011-11-24
Packaged: 2017-10-26 08:12:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/280760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Guardian_of_Hope/pseuds/Guardian_of_Hope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve Rogers thinks he's dead. Tony Stark refuses to believe that. A look at how a 'genius, playboy, billionare philanthropist' with a mechanical heart did something selfless and saved a friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Phase One: Identity

**Author's Note:**

> Like Dead or Alive, OSR is going to be written in a passive or reflective voice. Although I am planning to write some short one-shots around this as addendums to the series.

Tony Stark likes Steve Rogers.

Not that he gets to see the man all that often. Oh, and Pepper Potts is a Goddess. She had arranged (possibly as a revenge) a ‘corporate retreat’ and instead of ending up wanting another attack just for an excuse to leave, Tony had found stage one of Operation: Steve Rogers is Alive.

It was simple, and he’d heard it before, but now, he actually had a use for it. Now, when he sees Steven in ‘civilian’ clothes, he looks him in the eye, smiles and calls him Steve. In costume, in the field, he’s strict about calling him Captain or Captain America, but in civilian clothes, he’s Steve.

Steve Rogers is the best entertainment Tony Stark has found since he stopped drinking.

Seriously, the guy cannot understand what Tony is doing and it unnerves him. Tony half expects him to start wearing his uniform all the time, but Steve won’t do that. He doesn’t expect everyone else to be ‘in costume’ all the time and he won’t push them to do it. But Tony won’t stop calling him Steve.

It’s the irresistible force (every one’s expectations of the oh so humble Captain America) and the immovable object (Tony’s quest to prove Steve is alive.)

It’s time for phase two of Operation Steve Rogers is Alive. Allies.

Because Pepper Potts is a Goddess.

Steve Rogers is endlessly entertaining.

And Tony Stark likes Steve Rogers.

If only he could see more of him.


	2. Secrets

Tony Stark was up to something.

It had taken Captain America time, but even he was able to see a conspiracy in the making. Any conversation Tony was having, any time Steve was in hearing range, he stopped talking. Tony never tried to avoid Steve and the one time Steve toyed with the idea of confronting him, he’d looked in Tony’s eyes and saw the challenge, and Steve had never been able to resist a challenge.

He’d also never managed to figure out things like presents and surprise parties before they happened, but that was because Bucky could swear up and down that the sky was green with all the sincerity in the world.

Still, he was ashamed to admit that it took time for him to connect his presence with the stopped conversations.

Especially when the rest of the Avengers got in on the act. Except Thor.

Thor, when Steve mentioned it, only replied, “I trust them that they intend us no harm.”

Tony Stark was up to something.

Whatever it was, it made Steve nervous.


	3. Phase Two: Allies

Tony Stark liked the Avengers.

They were entertaining without trying. It was like hacking Coulson’s computer, or making a crack about Fury’s eye patch, one little thing and they reacted in a variety of different ways.

They also were willing to get behind an idea even if they didn’t understand what prompted it.

It started with a question, posed to Natasha. “Why do you call him Captain America when he’s not in costume, but you don’t call me Iron Man, or Bruce The Hulk?”

He followed it up with an anonymous email with an article on dissociative disorders, making sure to highlight depersonalization disorder.

That went over well.

Tony made a mental note not to send stuff like that. After he got Hulk to help him spring Steve from the psychologists, however, he got a look at the movies Steve had been given to watch and had a new idea.

Team night.

He’d been dismissive of the bonding experiences suggested by the others, but this, showing Steve the real movies that had shaped the world, this he could do.

At least, he could sit in the same room and mess around with ideas for air transports. He wasn’t about to ride in one of the out dated SHIELD jets, or just hand over one of HIS planes.

Now all he had to do was convince the rest of the team without letting them know it was his idea.

Tony Stark didn’t do subtle. But he did have Allies. Like Pepper (the Goddess that she was) and Rhodey.

Tony Stark liked the Avengers. He was going to let them into his home after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not a psychologist, but I do have Wikipedia. Tony is not a psychologist, he's just an idiot. Yes, it's a real disorder. No, I'm not saying Steve has it.


	4. Deceptive

Tony Stark was a devious man.

Captain America knew this, appreciated it in battle, but he’d never expected to find himself on the receiving end of those plans.

First, it had been Tony’s rather ingenious rescue from the ‘counslor’ which, if it did have a basic premise of ‘piss Bruce off and run when the Hulk showed up’ got an extra nod for creativity and execution.

Second, had been getting Fury to agree to this.

This was Tony’s penthouse condo overlooking Central Park.

This was a team building exercise away from SHIELD.

This was Clint and Natasha throwing popcorn at each other and anyone who tried to stop them.

This was a really good movie.

For some reason, they were watching what Clint called ‘awesome classics’ and Tony called ‘boring Westerns’ and Bruce said was both, _from a certain point of view._

The outcry to that gave the odd phrase a whole new meaning that even made Natasha smirk.

Steve found himself glancing at Thor, who was clearly as lost as he was.

That is, until Tony put in the last movie. “This one Fury can’t know about,” he told Clint and Natasha, “because I don’t think the shrinks want Steve to see these.”

It had the same main actor they’d been watching (John Wayne), was in black and white, which Steve appreciated for the familiarity, and five minutes into the film, Clint said, “Tony! This is a war movie.”

Tony, who had sat down next to Steve on the couch nodded. “It is. In Harm’s Way is a classic movie and I think it’s one Steve could appreciate.”

He did. He identified with the movie.

He could understand why some people wouldn’t want him to see it.

But what he remembered was Tony. Tony had sat next to him the entire movie, and instead of doing- something- with the side table, he’d watched the movie. And sometimes, Steve thought, himself.

And he remembered afterwards, when Clint had handed out beers and declared, “What happens at the penthouse, _stays_ at the penthouse,” before clinking glasses together.

When asked later, Captain America talked about Big Jake and True Grit, and kept quiet about the ‘war movie’.

Instead, he waited for the next team night.

Because Tony Stark was a devious man and Steve couldn’t wait to see what happened next.


	5. Phase Three; Team Bonding

Tony Stark was happy.

He didn’t often say that, but today, he was happy. The movie night had gone off well, he’d talked Fury into providing funding for research into faster aerial transports, and they had managed to shut down Loki’s latest ill fated plan.

Thor was waiting for him when Tony stepped into the closet he’d been given for his consulting work. When the door was shut, Thor expressed his concern.

He’d seen what Tony had about Steve. Thor wanted to help ‘bring their comrade to awareness’.

Tony was floored, especially when Thor idly commented that he saw Tony as Steve’s second.

All Tony could do was tell Thor that he’d get back to him.

Natasha showed up next, being Natasha, she showed up at his penthouse and demanded to know what was going on with Steve.

Tony hedged. Natasha threatened. Tony mentioned the shrinks. Natasha swore she wouldn’t tell.

Tony laid it out for Natasha, the first time he’d admitted it out loud.

Natasha asked how she and Clint could help.

Tony told her.

Call him Steve.

Invite him out. (And it didn’t bother him at all that Fury told him he couldn’t take Steve or Thor places without a SHIELD agent present and advanced warning)

Treat him like a human being when he’s not in costume.

And they did.

When it came to Bruce, Tony approached him. First to apologize for irritating him into becoming the Hulk to save Steve, then he wound up talking with Bruce about his research which led into Tony’s research and ended with what could only be described as the start of a prank war.

Steve watched them, but he didn’t say anything.

Tony set to work on a new plan. One to cover the hushed conversations. One to make Steve believe they hadn’t been excluding him for a sinister reason.

Then Tony founded out that Steve actually WAS born on the Fourth of July.


	6. Spark of Life

Steve Rogers was happy.

It was an odd thing, Steve reflected, it almost felt like he’d been reborn, kicking, yelling and trying to figure out what the hell was going on with Tony Stark, but at the end of it, he was feeling alive.

That was how he felt when Coulson showed up in his room on the 4th of July and informed him that he couldn’t say no. He was given a new outfit to wear and driven to a home that even he remembered as being affluent. “This is Riverdale,” he said to Coulson.

“Yes, it is,” Coulson replied quietly as the car pulled up to a gated home.

“What are we doing here?” Steve asked as they rolled up the driveway.

“I think Stark can explain it better,” Coulson replied.

Tony was waiting for them at the door to the mansion with his best ‘aren’t I a clever asshole’ smirk in place. Behind him was the woman Steve remembered as being Ms. Potts, the CEO of Tony’s company. “Welcome to Stark Mansion,” Tony said when Steve got out, “come inside, I want to show you something.”

Even Steve had to admit that the giant house was impressive. Even with what Tony claimed was a five year, on going renovation project. He was introduced to JEEVES, Tony’s house AI, who Tony also called the ‘Son of Jarvis’.

It was noon when they finished the whirlwind tour and entered the back yard. A back yard was filled with people he’d met at SHIELD, including the Avengers front and center. All of whom shouted in gleeful chaos “Happy Birthday Steve!”

As the city’s 4th of July fireworks began, Steve realized that for the first time since he’d woke up from his frozen sleep he didn’t feel like he was going through the motions of life, he just felt like Steve and not Captain America. The fact that Tony gave him an impressive amount of art supplies and offered to pose if Steve needed a model just helped him feel so much better about how things were going. Even with Ms. Potts (call me Pepper) slapping Tony’s arm with an outraged “Tony!” when he winked at Steve.

Steve Rogers was happy because for one day nobody asked him to be Captain America for any reason.


	7. Status Success

Tony and Steve stood at the top of the Empire State Building, alone in a crowd of strangers. Tony said there were SHIELD operatives about and Steve believed him. “It’s been a long six months,” Tony said as they leaned on the railing and stared out at their city.

“It hasn’t been boring,” Steve replied, staring down the side of the building.

“I wasn’t sure we’d make it, sometimes,” Tony admitted.

“This is us,” Steve said, “we win because we have to.”

Tony bumped his shoulder lightly, “I didn’t think you wanted to make it.” He said quietly.

It was the first direct statement Tony had ever made about Steve’s state of mind. “Six months ago, I didn’t,” Steve admitted. “You changed that.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Tony said sharply.

It was an argument Steve knew he would lose. Tony hated it when people acknowledged things he did, outside of his technological skills. Instead, he changed the subject, “I’ve been approved to watch movies of the 21st century now. I was wondering if you could recommend some good ones?”

“We’ll do a marathon,” Tony replied and Steve could practically hear Tony’s mind racing through the movies they could watch, and which ones Tony had conned the team into letting Steve see before he should.

“You’re a good man, Tony Stark,” Steve said in a quiet but firm tone. “A very good man.”

“Don’t say things like that,” Tony replied, “you’ll ruin my reputation.”

Steve laughed.


End file.
